I HAVE been in a multitude of shapes,
Before I assumed a consistent form.
I have been a sword, narrow, variegated,
I will believe when it is apparent.
I have been a tear in the air,
I have been the dullest of stars.
I have been a word among letters,
I have been a book in the origin…
- the battle of the trees, book of taliesin

Just a few words seem to tie all my recent and approaching days together.  Each sub-set of ideas fly around them like ribbons around a  single maypole.  The  holiday adorned children dancing beyond I fear, represent a sanity long gone.  Skipping backwards through their common cloud to the foundation left apart,  the words I read have little in common;  Wisconsin, Scotland, Muir, monster,  architect, Wales &  fudge. Yet they keep coming up.  Together they become one…

Saturday we traveled to Spring Green, WI to visit a farm market which has built up such a crazy mix of tasty treats, activities and animals that you and yours can easily expend a day there.  It was at Peck’s Farm Market (west) that we happened across an alien standing wooden in little forest glade.  Odd since I had just mentioned the Weekly World News in the blog…Odd as well, as I was not surprised to be standing there taking his picture. It was also at the farm market, among a traffic jam of children’s plastic peddle cars that I came across the Loch Ness Monster, or at least his likeness modeled in blue rubber. Attention spans being what they are these days, I soon forgot about Nessie however and had moved on to samples of Jack Ass Salsa and a fudge tasting surprisingly foul.  Cream Soda, Salsa & Fudge are not a likely combination on any given day,  let alone a September Saturday.

We drove home from Spring Green stopping only once under the fast setting sun to pick up the apples which a tight corner had sent running riot in the back of the jeep. In a moment’s peace after wrangling the wayward apples our eyes happened upon the sad sight of  fisherman’s trash marking a path down the bank to the Wisconsin river beyond.  Before finally heading for home we gathered up the beer cans, worm packs, & assorted McDonald’s brand trash into a bag to carry home and dispose of properly.  As I picked up the last french fry container I thought to myself, “I’ll have this to go please.”.

Sunday morning we walked through the Northern Lights campground at Devil’s Lake State Park here in Baraboo.  We watched as families busily put out fires and packed up  their gear for the long drive home.  Campers and cars backed off their pads and drove away under red and yellow autumn leaves which twisted and swayed beneath a deep, blue, signature autumn sky.   In time we returned home to watch the Green Bay Packers play football against the St. Louis Rams.  The Rams used to be my favorite team way back when I was a kid…and when they were still from Los Angeles.

After the game, I spent some time watching Gordon Brown’s Sea Kayaking DVD preview. I watched his group paddle the western coast of the Isle of Skye and took notes for an upcoming review. I thought again of the rubber blue Nessie I had found at the Farmer’s Market the day before.  I felt a moment’s twinge at having to delay my own Scotland adventure, but just as quickly I turned that sense of  loss into one of anticipation.  “I’ll see you soon enough you scary lake monster you!!”

Stopping the DVD, and still with close up images of Gordon Brown’s wellies dancing in my mind’s eye, I switched over to our local public broadcasting channel. I had been anticipating a program about the national parks here in Wisconsin and another national parks documentary by Ken Burns to follow.  Both programs were filled with images of mountains, water, flowers & bees that made our insanely large TV screen seem more valuable than I had previously thought.  Both programs  leaned heavily on the history, life and times of  famous naturalist John Muir.   John Muir was born in Scotland then came to Wisconsin with his family when he was young.  (Not too far from where I live actually.).  John Muir wrote about his life in Scotland and Wisconsin in a book called “The Story of My Boyhood and Youth”.  Folks here love his famous quote, “Oh, that glorious Wisconsin wilderness!”, so much that it’s become a bit of a tourism tag-line.  Marketing  requires many things, including riding a coat tail or two whenever possible.  A societal tenancy John Muir by all accounts detested. In the end, naturalist John Muir who is credited in no small part  for the creation of our National Parks system & founder of the Sierra Club, died in 1914, in Los Angeles, California.

Famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright is a major part of Spring Green, Wisconsin’s claim to fame.  Wright spent many of his early years in Chicago, but in 1910 he convinced his mother to purchase some land for him in Spring Green. In 1911 he began construction on his new home which he called “Taliesin”. The “Book of Taliesin” by the way, is a book of Welsh Poetry from the beginning of the 14^th century. Interestingly Wright’s real name was  Frank “Lincoln” Wright which he changed to Frank “Lloyd” Wright to honor his mother’s Welsh family.

As you may know we are planning a late season paddling trip down the Lower Wisconsin River Waterway.  Along the way we  will again return to Spring Green. In odd but notable twist to this little adventure, having paddled along coast of Wales, I’ve still to paddle the Wisconsin past the rolling hills, open prairie, and high bluffs that make up the land surrounding the world famous Taliesin.

Related Posts:

1. Enviromentalism
2. measure of time
3. Water To Land
4. Upper Wisconsin Dells
5. the inside